Gangnam Blues

Set in the 1970s during the height of political corruption in Seoul, Gangnam Blues follows two childhood friends, Jong-dae and Yong-ki, who grew up together in an orphanage and struggled to survive by collecting trash. Their lives take a drastic turn when their shantytown home is demolished by local thugs, leaving them destitute and desperate for any opportunity to escape poverty.

Separated during a violent political rally clash, the two friends inadvertently choose opposing paths within the criminal underworld. Jong-dae is taken in by a former gang leader and becomes entangled in the lucrative, high-stakes real estate development of the Gangnam district. Meanwhile, Yong-ki climbs the ranks of a rival syndicate, becoming a ruthless enforcer driven by sheer ambition.

As real estate prices explode in Gangnam, political figures and mob syndicates wage a bloody war over land rights and power. When Jong-dae and Yong-ki cross paths again on opposite sides of the turf conflict, their lifelong bond of brotherhood is tested against overwhelming greed, political betrayal, and fatal violence in a rapidly modernizing metropolis.